Example of Leveraging of Federal Resources for Better Programs

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Many of the programs listed in this training module can be leveraged with each other to generate successful programs. One example, the HUD/DOE Spokane Project, is highlighted below. This example shows how one project leveraged the financial resources of both HUD and the DOE to form a successful partnership and project.

The Weatherization and Housing Rehabilitation Project, Spokane, Washington

This project was one of four demonstration projects designed to improve the energy efficiency of low-income housing. Undertaken by the DOE Seattle Support Office, this project was designed to show Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Residential Retrofit Program officials that program efficiency and energy savings could be the result of scheduling housing rehabilitation and energy-efficient improvements at the same time. The goal of this effort was to leverage Federal, State, and local funding to rehabilitate and weatherize 80 low-income homes in the Spokane, Washington area.

The Spokane Neighborhood Action Program (SNAP) combined funding from Washington Water Power (a local utility), DOE, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDBG, and the Farmer's Home Administration to weatherize, rehabilitate, and provide conservation education to 80 low-income, single-family households in Spokane County, Washington.

Each participating dwelling was audited for both Weatherization and rehabilitation improvements. Work orders for both aspects of the job were prepared simultaneously. Typical Weatherization measures included insulation, furnace repair and replacement, and infiltration improvements. Typical rehabilitation measures included new roofs, septic and drain fieldwork, sheetrock installation on interior walls, and sheeting on exterior walls.

Through this project, SNAP gained "first-hand" experience in combining funds, procedures, and goals of Weatherization and rehabilitation programs. This project allowed SNAP to develop replicable software for tracking projects. SNAP has presented project results to numerous national and regional conferences.

SNAP continues to receive funding from several sources to complete rehabilitation on homes being weatherized. Rehabilitation funding sources include HOME, Farmer's Home Administration Housing Preservation Grants, and the Washington State Housing Trust Fund. SNAP is also continuing to present project results to interested parties, advocate for reconciliation of Weatherization and rehabilitation eligibility and work standards, and make available the tracking database to Weatherization and rehabilitation providers.